Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Causes, Symptoms And Treatments

One form of OCD was Monica’s obsession for keeping things clean and being organized and the other one was Sheldon’s fear of germs. But to your surprise, this condition is much more than that. OCD or obsessive compulsive disorder is a mental disorder where the sufferer has obsessive thoughts and shows repetitive behaviors. The victim can have unreasonable thoughts and fears, all of which interfere with daily life activities. In some cases the patient is aware of this condition and tries to suppress such repetitive behaviors. But that backfires in a different way and causes a great deal of distress. And ultimately, you are driven to perform the required actions to feel relaxed. This is what makes OCD a ritualistic and vicious circle.

Sometimes, in order to fulfill the obsession, a person ends up harming oneself. For example, if a person has fear of germs, he or she is driven to wash hands every now and then till they become sore and chapped. Other instances include continuous negative thoughts about a family member being harmed or keeping every item in a set place.

And even if it moves one spot ahead, it causes distress and irritation. OCDs can make a person feel embarrassed and ill-at-ease because this condition, in a way, robs the sufferer of self-control. Even if you wish to control this obsession or stop such strange behaviors, you fail to do so because you feel powerless.

What are the causes of OCD?

Despite the wealth of knowledge and research, experts are not very well aware of the causes of OCD. They say that the brains of people with OCD do not look normal but they still need to dig out some relevant reasons for it. Women are more prone to this condition than men. Its symptoms show in teenage or in young adults and stress makes things worse. The following can make you more prone to OCDs.

Family history, a parent or sibling with OCD

Depression and anxiety

Trauma

A history or sexual abuse as a child

Changes in the body’s natural functions and brain chemistry

Genes could also be responsible for this condition

Environmental factors such as infections could also be responsible for OCDs.

What are the symptoms of OCD?

People affected with OCD are prone to repetitive behaviors. However, they are well aware of the fact that their actions do not make any sense. Despite this, they fail to control their obsessions; not because they don’t want to, but because they just can’t control. And even if they succeed at controlling themselves, they feel ill-at-ease, which forces them to repeat their obsessions.

These obsessions could be anything; being a cleanliness freak, having continuous thoughts about sex, violence and religion or some body parts. These thoughts could also include the following:

Fear of being dirty or acquiring germs

Worrying about being hurt or others being hurt

Obsessive need for having things in order

Thinking that some numbers or colors are good and the rest are bad

Being aware of bodily sensations like breathing and blinking

Being suspicious about a partner’s faithfulness

Besides these, the sufferer can also have some compulsive habits like:

Washing hands again and again

Following only a specific order for all tasks and doing it religiously and a ‘good’ number of times

Checking locked doors and lights repetitively

A need to count things like steps

Keeping things in a specific manner, like keeping the cans facing the front

Being scared of touching door knobs and shaking hands

What are the treatment options for OCD?

OCD is a condition, which, if left untreated can become chronic and is likely to accompany you for a very long time. If a person does not receive the appropriate treatment for OCD in time, the likelihood of getting better goes down.

The treatment for it, however, will depend on the extent to which the obsessions and compulsions affect a person’s quality of life. Though there is no sure-shot cure for OCDs; talk therapies and psychotherapies can help you control the symptoms, especially when they start interfering with your quality of life.

4 Simple Tips To Achieve Your Weight Loss Goals And A Healthy Living

Health is wealth! But in the today’s world where everyone is so occupied with work do we actually pay attention to our lifestyle. Well! Not really. After all, what does it actually take to lead a healthy lifestyle? A healthy lifestyle is extremely important as it helps to improve your health and well-being. There are a lot many different things that you can do to live a healthy lifestyle. These include eating healthy and nutritious foods, being physically active, maintaining a healthy weight, adequate sleep and managing your stress. A healthy lifestyle is not just about eating wholesome meals and regular physical exercise. There is much more to that. It is also about your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. Health expert Luke Coutinho in his recent Instagram post talks about keeping life simple and healthy.

Movement is a key to a healthy life. Some sort of physical activity is very necessary. Not just few times a week but everyday. Exercising daily can boost your overall health in many ways. It can help increase your life span, lower the risk of diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure, help you develop strong bones, and manage your weight. For this, you can simply especially for close distances, choose walking or cycling over driving or taking transportation. You can climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator. You can pick up simple exercises that are easy to do at home or outside that you enjoy. For instance, Zumba, aerobics, running, swimming or may be playing your favourite sport.

3. Adequate sleep

You might ignore this one but sleep is very important. It helps your body to heal and rest, so you must not ignore on your sleep. Lack of sleep may lead to poor health outcomes like obesity, diabetes, and even certain heart diseases. Continued lack of sleep can lead to a weak immune system and make you more prone to cold and the flu.

You can do some simple things to ensure that you sleep better at night. You can avoid caffeine and nicotine close to bedtime. Also, avoid eating heavy meals before bedtime. Physical exercise can also help you sleep better at night. But avoid strenuous workouts close to bedtime.

4. Stress

Though it is difficult to avoid stress in today’s world. But simple measures can always be taken to reduce stress. As stress again could lead to high blood sugar levels, hypertension and can even affect your heart. So practice some deep breathing exercises, meditation and yoga to manage stress. Also, try reaching out to friends, family and relatives quite often. This will help you remain positive and happy all the time.

Facing Digestion Issues? This Quick After-Meal Mix Can Help You!

Has it been long since digestive issues have been interfering with your health? Poor digestion is undoubtedly a sign of poor health and there is something that you must do about it . We have previously spoken about different kinds of foods that can help improve digestion. In this article, we will talk about an after-meal digestive mix suggested by lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho. This digestive mix consists of simple ingredients which can be easily found in Indian households. This after-meal digestive needs 5 ingredients, namely fennel seeds, sesame seeds, chopped almonds, flax, and ajwain. All these foods are popular for their benefits on digestive health.

Here are some benefits of Luke Coutinho’s after-meal digestive mix:

1. Fennel seeds: Fennel seeds are commonly consumed after meals. Many restaurants provide fennel seeds after food. Fennel seeds are highly popular for their digestive benefits. They can also help in getting relief from flatulence, painful periods, boosting metabolism, regulating blood sugar and improving hydration.

2. Sesame seeds: Dietary fibre in sesame seeds help in improving digestion. They provide your body with the required fibre which is needed for improving digestion. Fibre helps in improving gut bacteria. 100 gm of sesame seeds contain around 12 g of fibre. This amount, when combined with other fibre-rich foods, can restore digestive system in the body.

3. Almonds: Almonds too are rich in fibre. When consumed in the appropriate quantities, almonds can help in improving digestive health. Almonds can provide beneficial gut bacteria. Vitamin -E rich almonds are great for heart health and eye health.

5. Ajwain: Chewing ajwain or carom seeds can help in easing gas and flatulence. Carom seeds are full of thymol which helps in secreting gastric juices that aid digestion. For years, ajwain has been used a home remedy for curing indigestion. You can consume it in small quantities as it tastes slightly spicy.

For preparing Luke Coutinho’s after-meal digestive mix, you simply need to mix all of the above ingredients in a glass jar. A teaspoon of this mix after your meals every day can bring significant improvement to your digestion.

Know how to counter ill effects of long-time sitting

These are the findings of a recent study which appear in the American Journal of Epidemiology. The results highlight the importance of movement — regardless of its intensity or amount of time spent moving — for better health.

“Our findings underscore an important public health message that physical activity of any intensity provides health benefits,” said lead author Keith Diaz of Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

About one in four adults spends more than eight hours a day sitting, according to a recent study.

In a previous paper, Diaz and his team discovered that adults who sat for long stretches at a time — an hour or more without interruption — had a greater risk of early death than those who were sedentary for the same total amount of time but got up and moved around more often.

They also found that people who sat for less than 30 minutes at a time had the lowest risk of early death, suggesting that taking movement breaks every half-hour could lower your risk of death.

But just how intense, and for how long, does the physical activity need to be to counter the ill effects of sitting?

The study found that replacing just 30 minutes of sitting with low-intensity physical activity would lower the risk of early death by 17 per cent, a statistically significant decrease. Swapping the same amount of sitting for moderate to vigorous activity would be twice as effective, cutting the risk of early death by 35 per cent. The researchers also found that short bursts of activity — of just a minute or two — provided a health benefit.

“If you have a job or lifestyle that involves a lot of sitting, you can lower your risk of early death by moving more often, for as long as you want and as your ability allows — whether that means taking an hour-long high-intensity spin class or choosing lower-intensity activities, like walking,” Diaz said.

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